Most people are familiar with airport baggage carousels, but did you know that RIS produces the rubber slats for them? Our collaboration with Vanderlande dates back to the 1990s. In 2019, we invested in a new moulding machine to boost the speed and scale of our production.
Vanderlande is a world market leader in efficient logistics process automation in airports and for parcel delivery services; in addition, the company is a leading supplier of process automation for distribution centres.
600 airports driven by RIS Rubber
Globally, Vanderlande systems handle an impressive 3.7 billion pieces of baggage annually – equivalent to 10.1 million per day. These systems are active at 600 airports worldwide, including 13 of the global top 20. The rubber mats on baggage carousels, commonly known as rubber slats, are produced daily at RIS Rubber’s facility in Lelystad.
rubber compounds developed during the 90s
The collaboration between Vanderlande and RIS Rubber began in the 1990s. Together, they took on the challenge of developing the perfect rubber slat. This successful partnership led to the production of many different variations of rubber slats by RIS Rubber in the years that followed. The rubber compound developed during that time still forms the foundation of the rubber slats used at airports around the world today.
testing in practice
Collaborating on the development of rubber products has always been a source of pride for RIS Rubber – that was the case 60 years ago and still is today. Combining the customer’s practical expertise with RIS Rubber’s in-depth knowledge of rubber ensures the manufacture of a high-quality product. Vanderlande’s testing facilities provide the opportunity to thoroughly test the product in real-world conditions before it is brought to market.
investing where it matters
The successful collaboration between Vanderlande and RIS Rubber led to the investment in a new compression moulding machine in 2019. This new machine weighs 30,000 kg and produces 1,000 tonnes of clamping force. In addition to the existing compression moulding machines used to produce moulded rubber products for Vanderlande, RIS Rubber added this new machine to its arsenal to boost the rate of production. The new machine features 2,400 x 500 mm heating plates, which means that RIS Rubber can provide its customers with even larger rubber parts. A new moulding machine not only means increased production volumes but also the design of new moulds. The mould engineers have successfully designed and tested several new moulds to meet these requirements.
successful collaboration
RIS Rubber is proud to say that its partnership with a leading company like Vanderlande is truly unique. Developing and producing the rubber slats found at many airports worldwide is a true success story!
